By  M. Bai Kiawu

The adage, “Give a man his flowers while alive,” became a reality when the Gbi & Dorue Development Association of the United States honored Martha Sinoe, former president of the Organization of Liberians in Minnesota, on Saturday, Sept. 18 at a fundraising and honoring program in St. Paul, Minn.

The former president of OLM was among several Liberians privileged to receive certificates for what was described as their distinguished and humanitarian contributions towards their communities.

Other personalities were the keynote speaker, the Rev. Eddie Gibson, director of the Eddie Gibson International Ministry, Inc., Sam Kpahn, president of Tappita Development Association, Zachariah G. Roberts, Sr., former chairman of UNICCO Minnesota Chapter, Augustine Manneh Sumo, chief executive officer of the EFE International, Inc., and Ken Marblow, president of the Liberian Association of Norway.

Sinoe’s selection, according to Jerry Barcon, president of GDDA, was because, as a daughter of the district, she has made efforts and invested considerable resources to help “our old folks back home in Liberia.”

He said Sinoe has consistently made generous financial contributions to development efforts in the district, as well as being the first female president of OLM, and the first female Vice-President of the Northern Region of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas, ULAA.

In a letter announcing her selection, the GDDA said, it was due to Martha Sinoe’s, “Excellent leadership in the Liberian community and grateful to God for the effort you [Martha Sinoe] have made…over the years…for your many critical leadership capacities, from fundraiser to head of powerful committees.”

Sinoe’s Reaction
When The Liberian Journal (TLJ) sought her reaction to the honor, Sinoe, whose mother is Gbi, said it has always been an honor for her to contribute to the development efforts of Gbi District and its people, “especially elderly folks who face so much problems overcoming health and other challenges.”

It seemed her appreciation was matched only by her usual sense of humility.

“I am flattered and humbled by the recognition. My efforts were not intended to attract recognition, but rather to impact the lives of those who need our help the most”, she said. “The conditions and aspirations of our people must be our cause, because each simple action we take could change their lives for the better.”

In her acceptance speech, a copy of which was issued to TLJ, Sinoe, who could not attend the event due, in part, to a family emergency, thanked the leadership of GDDA for highlighting what she called “my modest contributions”, and then paid tribute to her mother, Madam Tetee Banto-Sinoe, “for instilling in her children loving and caring values, especially for those with whom we live in our various communities.”

The former OLM boss said “those values led us to taking up leadership roles in our communities”, an apparent reference to her celebrated role on immigration advocacy in the Liberian Diaspora.

“I received this certificate on behalf of my late grandfather, Chief Yllah Banto, who, as you all know, was a very caring person,” she added, “and was also very instrumental in the establishment of the Gbi District, and bringing the Gbi and Dorwulu people together in unity.”

Others Pay Tribute to Sinoe
The GDDA ’s recognition of Sinoe’s “excellent leadership in the Liberian community” evidently struck a chord with some—ranging from those with whom she worked at the leadership level to ordinary Liberians, for whom she has tirelessly worked to create a more hopeful reality.

Arthur Watson, a former president of ULAA, who served from 2004 to 2006, singled out special praise for Sinoe, in response to news of her certification by GDDA.

“She is a leader committed to working for people”, said Watson, during whose tenure Sinoe served as Northern Regional Vice-President. “She served the Union very well. And she undisputedly made a huge contribution to our efforts at every level.”

But by nearly all accounts, her signature achievement is her tireless efforts on behalf of Liberians struggling to gain permanent legal status in the U.S.

As President of OLM in 2007, Sinoe led the largest pro-Liberian immigration rally by any single community in the U.S, inspiring eight congressional signatures on two US Bills—S.656 and H.R. 1941—intended to grant permanent resident status to Liberians on what is now called Deferred Enforced Departure, also known as DED.

Both Bills were introduced in the 110th Congress.

Harris T. Meh, a former chair of the OLM’s board oversight on immigration during Sinoe’s presidency, paid a glowing tribute to his former colleague, a community leader with whom he has had some sharp disagreements in the past.

“Martha Sinoe’s works on TPS/DED was really impressive”, he recalled, emphasizing every word with vigor. “The 2007 TPS [Temporary Protective Status) rally was the best mass action by Liberians I have ever seen in the state of Minnesota. She deserves the honor bestowed on her by the Gbi and Dorue Association.”

Martha Sinoe, he continued, “has earned a special place in the hearts of so many people across the various Liberian communities in the U.S., especially our own Minnesota, where she did her best under the worst of circumstances.”

Jarbay Musu Kamara, a Liberian on DED, is in complete agreement with the sentiments contained in GDDA’s recognition of Sinoe’s efforts. She had actually planned to attend the Gbi and Dorue honoring event “until a conflict in schedules changed my plan.”

 “I share the sentiments and believe every bit of the kind and grateful words showered upon Martha Sinoe by the Gbi and Dorue people”, she said.

She said she had almost collapsed under the sheer weight of despair until Sinoe launched her 2007 campaign to garner signatures on the two Bills in the U.S Congress. “We could have won the passage of those Bills in Congress if there were a Martha Sinoe in every Liberian community in 2007”, she argued.

The more she spoke, the more she seemed energized to express her appreciation.

 “As a beneficiary of DED, I will always appreciate the leadership roles of Martha Sinoe on our behalf. She stood with us and made the permanent resident status of Liberians on TPS/DED her priority”, Kamara told TLJ.

After a moment of reflection, she asked, “What if every Liberian community in the U.S had done what we did in Minnesota”?

GDDA’s recent certificate to Sinoe is akin to the many praises she drew when she managed a small health care business in the early 2000s, where she employed hundreds of job seekers---especially African immigrants—helping some get assimilated into mainstream American communities.

Married with three children, Sinoe has worked as a public health advocate and a community leader in many capacities, spanning over 20 years.

Meanwhile, Sinoe has pledged the amount of $1, 200.00 to the Gbi & Dorue Association, to support development projects in Gbi District, covering a year.

Headquartered in Rhode Island, GDDA’s primary goal is the development of the Gbi and Dorue District, in Nimba County, Liberia. The group has five chapters in the U.S.--Rhode Island, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Massachusetts and Florida.

Its current president, Barcon, known for his effective outreach style, has served the association for the last three years.

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Editor’s Note: Martha Sinoe can be reached at 612-432-1367.